To Be Strong
by Mithua
Summary: Hinata has been made head of the Hyuuga clan. And Hanabi resents her for it. Feeling as if the right has been stolen from her. Hinata has to prove to her sister what it truly means to be strong.
1. Chapter 1

**To Be Strong**

**By Mithua**

**Chapter 1**

The moonlight filtered into her bedroom and lighted the single photo in its frame, giving and even bluer glow to it. Her sister had always been the odd one in the family. Never truly seeming to fit in with the clan, despite how hard she tried. Hanabi had heard that she had been trying to change her destiny, trying not to follow the same cruel road she had walked down. The countless times she had been called weak, a failure. Hyuuga's weren't allowed to be either. She even had the nerve to grow her blue-black hair wavy rather than the typically set straight, jet-black Hyuuga hair. How dare she!

Hanabi narrowed her eyes from her position on the bed. Sitting up, she pushed her long hair back and walked towards the photo, picking it up. Her sister's sweet smiling face looked back at her, her pale eyes staring directly at her. Sighing again, she placed the photo down and fingered the small silver locket around her neck. If she were to open it, she'd see a similar woman looking at her. Hyuuga Tsukiko. Her mother. Hinata had taken after her. Her mother had been kind, and gentle, just like Hinata.

Hanabi on the other hand was like her father. She was strong. She was confident. She was born to be the leader of the clan. She clenched her fist a little, eyes narrowing again at the photo of her sister.

* * *

The sun rose over the horizon, lighting the skies over Konoha. It looked to be a beautiful day again, a warm day with a gentle breeze with the light fragrance of the spring flowers. All was peaceful. 

Hanabi ducked as his hand came at her again. She considered herself lucky, that despite the disputes between the Main House and the Branch House, that he would agree to spar with her using the infamous 'Gentle Fist' style that the Hyuuga's were renowned for. She concentrated on her chakra and maintained the Byakugen. But her Neji-niisan was showing no mercy at all today as he managed to seal one of her tenketsu points on her shoulder. She was struggling to keep her Byakugen set. She swerved to avoid another attack but with his amazing speed, he managed to find an opening. And she was knocked to the ground.

Wincing, she let go of her hold on the Byakugen and clutched at her stomach. Seeing that she wouldn't be able to attack, Neji helped her up with a smile.

"You really are getting better Hanabi-sama. We'll work on your speed next time." He said as he helped her get up. She only nodded as he led her over to a log so that she could sit down. But feeling another presence, he turned around. Hinata stood there with a small smile on her face, holding a tray with two drinks.

"Ohayo!" She greeted as she walked towards the two. Neji nodded at her with a small smile. Hanabi looked off in another direction.

Hinata walked over to them and sat down on the ground. Neji had to smile a little more. Despite being the Head of the Hyuuga clan, Hinata still insisted on acting as she had before. She didn't specifically want the extra attention that came with being the Head. So she we serve drinks, sit on the dusty ground and wear the clothes she would normally wear, just as before. She definitely wasn't spoiled brat that he had thought of before.

She handed a drink to her Neji-niisan. He accepted it from her. She held the second drink out to Hanabi, but the youngest Hyuuga intended on behaving as if she didn't exist. Neji frowned a little, but Hinata kept the small smile on her face.

"Hanabi-chan, I brought a drink for you." Hinata spoke calmly, looking at her younger sister. She narrowed her eyes and swiftly moved her hand. However, Neji's quicker hand grasped her wrist, just as she was about to knock the glass over.

"Don't act so foolishly Hanabi-sama." Neji warned her. Narrowing her eyes, she swiped her hand from his grasp, and walked back towards the house.

Hinata sighed a little and set the glad back down on the tray. Neji looked down at her. She looked disappointed; her eyes watching the figure of her sister disappear back into the house.

"Arigato, Neji-niisan." She said quietly with a small smile to him. He only nodded. She picked up her tray and held it out for Neji to put his now empty glass on it.

"However, I would like to deal with her myself next time." She said quietly looking at him, a small polite smile on her face. Neji only nodded. Though it pained him to see the coldness Hanabi showed towards her older sister.

"As you wish, Hinata-sama."

* * *

It hadn't taken long for Hinata to find her younger sister, and she had come prepared with four single stemmed flowers. Hinata walked silently to the gravestone beside the one Hanabi stood before. She kissed the petal of the lily she held and put it down in front of her mother's gravestone. She held out a second lily silently to Hanabi. Hanabi had her hair covering one side of her face, so that Hinata could not see her. The two sisters stood silently for a long time, before Hanabi finally took the lily from Hinata's hand, kissing the petal and putting it down by her mother's grave. 

They both stood silently for a while, thinking of their mother. Until Hinata kissed a second petal of the flower and laid it on her father's grave. Once again, she held the last flower out to her sister. However, Hanabi showed no sign of taking it this time. Hinata turned to look at her, tears were falling down her eyes and her fists were clenched tightly.

"Hanabi-chan…" Hinata started but the glare sent her way made her stop.

"I have no desire to put a flower on Otou-san's grave, and don't you dare make me Hinata." She said, her voice dangerously low. Hinata still held the flower out silently, looking at her younger sister. Hanabi turned to look at her with angry eyes. She knocked the flower out of Hinata's hand and stood on it, crumpling it. She turned to walk away.

"You have no right to be angry at Otou-san." Hinata said calmly, her eyes looking saddened at the crumpled flower. Hanabi stopped.

"Oh, I beg to differ dear sister. I have _every_ right to be angry at him." Hanabi replied turning around. Hinata also turned around to face her, a sad look on her face. But then to Hanabi's shock, her face hardened. She had never seen her sister look like that.

"Grow up Hanabi." She said, her voice sounding stern. A breeze blew, blowing Hinata's wavy hair around her face. Hanabi gritted her teeth in anger. She remembered her father always saying that to Hinata whenever she started to cry after failing a particular jutsu or getting hurt when she was younger.

"How dare you…" Hanabi started. Hinata kept her same hardened gaze on her younger sister.

"How dare you say that to me Hinata! You have no idea what I've been through! Everyday I trained for Otou-san. I sweated, I bled, and I lived just so I could please Otou-san! He told me I'd be great one day! That I would lead the family to great success! That I would keep the secrets of the Byakugen! That it was my destiny, not yours to lead the clan! Then, just before he dies, he decides to lead this clan to it's downfall by leaving you as the Head! You! The weakest of our clan! You! Who barely knows any jutsu. Who has no strength to lead! Since your injuries from the Chuunin exam you've been weaker. Your body never healed properly!" Hanabi raised her voice, and she was clearly shouting at her older sister.

"Otou-san was a liar and a fool." She said in a low quiet voice.

Hinata again narrowed her eyes, giving her a dangerous look. She took steps towards her sister, until she was right in front of the smaller Hyuuga.

"You are the fool Hanabi. Though you may be the heiress to the clan right now, I can assure you right now, that you will _never_ lead our clan." She said, her eyes looking cold. Hanabi glared at her older sister.

"You are weak. And though you have Byakugen, it seems like your anger at Otou-san has blinded you." With that, Hinata walked past her sister's still form.

"I am neither weak nor blind." Hanabi started but Hinata's hard look melded into a smile.

"Oh, I beg to differ dear sister." Was all she said as she walked past the younger Hyuuga. As she reached the gate, she stopped and turned her head to face her sister.

"If you truly believe that you are not weak Hanabi-chan, meet me at the training grounds at dusk." Hinata said.

* * *

Disclaimer: Characters don't belong to me. 

A/N: I realise that Hinata and Hanabi may be a little out of character. But my justification for Hinata is that I believe that as she grows older (she's about 23 in this story) her confidence will increase, especially if she became Head. And as for Hanabi…well, I need her to act like this for the purpose of the story! v Anyway, if you have any comments, criticisms, questions or queries, please do let me know.

Terminology:

_Tsukiko_ – moon child (or something along those lines)

_Ohayo_ – good morning

_Otou-san - _father


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

The training grounds were right on the outskirts of the village of Konoha. Battered tree stumps could be seen, used for the practices of taijutsu. Others were a little charred or worn from different ninjutsu. As Hanabi entered the compound at the first signs of dusk, she couldn't see the figure of her sister anywhere. She frowned but made her way over to one of the tree stumps. She leant on it, waiting for her sister with an angry and impatient expression on her face. Her kunai holster was strapped securely to her right thigh and her pouch was full of small shuriken. If Hinata wanted to fight her right there and then, to prove who was truly stronger, she would definitely win. She was _not_ weak. And she'd be damned if her sister thought she was! Hanabi clenched her fists and glared at the ground, as if it were its fault for all the anger and pain she felt.

Moments later she sensed a familiar presence behind her. She didn't bother acknowledging her sister as she appeared from the forest beside the training grounds. When she looked up, her eyes widened in shock.

Hinata had tied her hair back and wore her leaf forehead protect around her neck as she usually did, but her clothes, her clothes weren't that of the Head of the Hyuuga clan, but one completely black, with a black silk belt. She had long crosshatched sleeves over which she wore a black tunic, which had six scroll compartments. She wore trousers not dissimilar to that of a jounin. With the remainder of her legs wrapped in bandages. She wore black sandals rather than the blue she was normally seen wearing. A kunai holster was strapped to her thigh and her silk black belt held a pouch for her shuriken. Strapped to her back was also a fine silver sword, its handle had a single opal encrusted into it.

She was dressed like a member of the Branch Family.

"This was made for me several years go." Hinata told her sister with a small sad smile.

Hanabi could only look on, too shocked for words.

Hinata drew out the sword on her back. Though it was silver, it reflected the sunset and made it look on fire. And Hanabi had a distinct feeling that if it were drawn out in the moonlight, it would look like the sharpest spike of ice.

"This sword is a wonderful piece of weaponry. Tenten-san's father is a truly talented blacksmith." Hinata said as she admired the sword. "He can make the sharpest and toughest of blades," Hinata flipped the sword and caught it deftly in her left hand, "and make it as light as a feather for one of the physically weakest Hyuuga's." Hinata smiled and held the blade, handing the handle of the sword to her sister.

Hanabi looked at it and feeling quite timid all of a sudden, gently took the handle of the sword. It truly was light, similar to Tenten-san's kunais. Hinata stepped back and watched as her sister marvelled at the sword. Hanabi's eyes wandered to the opal stone.

"Opal's are meant to be unlucky." She said frowning a little. Hinata only nodded.

"Branch House members are quite unlucky, don't you think? That's why our elders thought that the opal would be a fitting symbol for them." Hinata said, turning to face the sunset. Hanabi eyed the stone warily.

"Neji-niisan, although he is not fond of using weapons in battle, he has a lovely shuriken windmill, opals dotted around the centre. I saw him practice with it once, and it looks quite beautiful flying through the air." Hinata commented. "Although he is thankful for Tenten-san's father for making it for him, he hates what it symbolises."

Hinata sighed. Hanabi looked up to see the saddened look on her face. She suddenly looked a lot older than she should have. Hanabi handed Hinata back the sword, and Hinata strapped it to her back once more.

"I don't know if you've noticed Hanabi-chan, but the Branch House is considerably larger than that of the Main House. The only reason that they haven't overwhelmed the Main House is because of the curse seal." Hinata said, turning to face the sunset. Hanabi frowned again. What was Hinata getting at?

"I really do love my family. I'm proud to say that I'm from the Hyuuga clan of the Hidden Village of Konoha. And if I were to lead the clan, I wanted to be strong. I wanted to be even half as good as the past Heads. I wanted to be strong like Otou-san, but even more, I wanted to be as strong as you." She chuckled a little. "In fact, I think it's because of you I tried so hard and even became a jounin." Hinata said, her eyes still taking in the sight of the sun sinking over the horizon. Hanabi remained silent.

"I always knew that you would make the better leader. I would train as hard as I could between missions, and when I came home, I studied the old family records. But I also made a startling discovery. And when I looked at our family tree, it confirmed my thoughts."

"What do you mean?" Hanabi asked, still confused. Hinata tore her eyes from the sunset and faced her younger sister. Her eyes were sad again.

"To date, every member of the Main House has one sibling. That sibling would be the younger of the two, and also a member of the Branch House." Hinata said solemnly, looking at her sister. Hanabi's eyes widened, her mouth opening a little.

Hinata took out a scroll from one of the scroll compartments on her tunic. She bit her finger allowing some blood to flow. She let the blood drop a little onto the seal binding the scroll. The scroll immediately loosened and Hinata unwound it. It turned out to be a small section of the Hyuuga family tree. Hanabi made out on the family names and once the scroll was fully opened, she saw her own name at the very end, along side Hinata's. Both their names were faintly written compared to the other names.

"The names written in black are that of the Main House. Those in red are that of the Branch House." Hinata explained. And sure enough it really confirmed what Hinata had told her. Their father, Hiashi had black ink to his name. And their uncle, Hizashi had red to his. Neji's name was in red below Hizashi's name.

"Why isn't my name in red?" Hanabi managed to say, albeit in a shaky whisper, looking directly at her sister. Hinata looked at her younger sister. She managed a small comforting smile at her sister.

"Being the Head of the family is hard work. You have to confirm decisions made between members of the family and the elders also. But it seems like we Hyuuga's just have to have some ratty traditionalist elders." Hinata smile melded into a frown. She sat down on the ground beside her sister.

"Otou-san is the most caring man I've ever known. There were times when I thought he was heartless as a child, but I guess he has a cruel-to-be-kind nature to him as well." Hinata laughed a little.

"He was grieving a lot after the death of our uncle. He felt an overwhelming wave of guilt for making Neji-niisan fatherless. Ever since that day, Otou-san has been fighting to dissolve the rule that makes the youngest sibling a Branch House member." Hinata said her eyes a little distant.

Hanabi's fist clenched again. The ground beneath her finger crumbling to dust.

"Otou-san hated that this should be the fate of his youngest daughter. He loved you so much Hanabi-chan. He fought long and hard with the elders but it seemed that they wouldn't get rid of the rule. They spouted out some rubbish about protection." Hinata said. Her eyes became distant again.

"One night, I came home from a mission and I heard father arguing with the elders again. About trying to rid the rule. But they were being difficult and wouldn't see through his argument."

* * *

_Hinata peeked through the doors, keeping her chakra levels low so that she wouldn't be detected. Her father was once again sitting on a lone cushion, head bowed as he pleaded with the elders to break the second sibling rule._

_"Bringing about this rule has only caused grief between our families. The curse seal is not necessary anymore." Hiashi argues at the elders._

_"Hiashi-kun, this was explained long ago to you. Why do you persist on dissolving this rule? It's for the protection of our bloodline. We cannot let the secrets of the Byakugan go and that is why our Branch Family exists." One of the bearded elders replied calmly._

_"Please, I beg you to rid our family of this rule. You saw the despair it brought upon Hizashi-kun. And now Neji-kun is without a father. That boy will grow up hating us. I would rather have the Main House and the Branch House unite as one, like we were before, those many years ago."_

_The elders sighed._

_"I know that the curse seal cannot be removed from them now that it has been place. But if we stopped the barrier forming now, between Hinata and Hanabi-"he started._

_"So you wish to spare your youngest from the curse seal? Are you that selfish?" Another elder started. It was known throughout the Hyuuga clan that the bond between Hiashi and Hanabi was strong. Although it was cruel to say, and that he would never admit it, many were sure that he definitely showed strong favour for Hanabi over Hinata._

_"Hiashi-kun, Hanabi-chan is a wonderfully strong little girl. And we have no doubt that she will become great. If we give her the curse seal now, she would protect the clan greatly. Her physical skills are amazing; she's talented in taijutsu, ninjutsu and genjustu. Her traits make her a suitable Branch House member. However, she lacks the certain disposition to become the leader. She is easy to anger and we've noticed that she has an uncanny knack for holding grudges." An elder to his left said._

_"Hinata-chan is a calm girl. She's level-headed, serene and wants peace among the family. Her shyness makes her endearing. Although she lacks in confidence right now, we thoroughly believe that she will become a confident leader of our clan." The elder paused for a little while, letting a smile come to his face. "We believe in you Hinata-chan, you can come in."_

_Hinata widened her eyes, cheeks flushed she slid the doors open and bowed her head respectfully. She sat down on the cushion by her father. She took one look at the troubled expression on his face. She had never seen her father look so troubled. His face was creased with worry. But she still saw the determination in his eyes. _

_"If I may…" She spoke shyly. The elders smiled at the young girl and nodded so she could speak._

_"As nice as it is to have the blessings of the elders to become Head, I think you have spoken too kindly of me." She said, her face flushing again. Hiashi looked at his eldest daughter. Though a little red in the face he saw the determination on her face and her eyes showed an undying love for her family. He could see that her confidence was definitely growing._

_"I declare right now, that I refuse to be head of the Hyuuga clan." She said confidently, looking straight at the elders. They looked back at her shocked. She let a kind smile show on her face._

_"I was never a leader, unlike Hanabi. She has so much skill as a shinobi that make up admirable traits as a leader. My friend, Shikamaru-kun who was an examiner during the Chuunin exam told me how she displayed leadership qualities during the events. As for Hanabi-chan's personality, she's young right now. And if she were to become Head, I'm sure she would mature wonderfully."_

_The elders looked at her again. The bearded elder shook his head and started to talk again._

_"Hinata-chan, we understand that you want to defend your sister, but you are firstborn. It is your duty to become the Head of this clan. Not Hanabi-chan's." He spoke. _

_"If you were to become Head and she to become a Branch Member, I'm sure things will work out to be considerably well." Another elder said._

_Hinata narrowed her eyes. Feeling a little angry at the elders. They were so adamant on everything. She could understand why her father was having such a hard time getting through to them._

_"If you make Hanabi-chan a Branch House member, I swear on the blood that runs through these veins, that I will refuse ever becoming Head of this family." Hinata said her voice deadly serious, the polar opposite from her usually shy one. She felt a hand on her shoulder._

_"That's enough Hinata." Her father said, his voice sounding low. Hinata shook her head not letting the argument go.  
_

_"Hanabi-chan is the better candidate for the head of House. I will take her place as the Branch Member." Hinata announced._

_A dead silence ran through out the room. Every single eye on Hinata, who looked back determinedly at them all. Hiashi was so shocked at the announcement that his daughter made. Was she really like this all along? He suddenly felt as if he didn't know his eldest daughter at all._

_

* * *

_  
A/N: Whee! This was a fun one to write. I'd like to thank those who review last time round. It was nice to know what you all thought. I know some of you expected to see a battle between the two sisters (and I was awfully tempted to write one too) but I think this version works a little better. I was originally planning to make this fic a one-shot. But I'm too impatient to write this all out as one. So it's been chapterised!

Once again, any comments, criticisms, questions and queries are fully appreciated!


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"How could you do that?" Hanabi exclaimed, standing up from her position on the ground. She had a distressed look on her face, and ran her right hand through her hair. Her pale eyes were furrowed as she looked at her sister. Hinata still sat, with a calm expression on her face. The increasingly darkening sky seemed to make her more shadow like; her pale skin gave her a ghostly hue. She only smiled up at her sister.

"Otou-san asked me the same thing after that meeting." Hinata said, a little bit of sadness in her voice. She had a faraway look on her face. She sighed and stood up from the ground. She was still taller than her sister; Hanabi had to look up to see her face. Hinata looked at her younger sister; her face was serious, but gradually melded towards a smile.

"I couldn't let my cute little sister have such a fate." She smiled and ruffled her sister's hair. Hanabi's eyes widened.

"No one deserves the fate of those in the Branch House. None of them. And being in the Main House is selfish. We are all humans, and humans always seek to become stronger, more powerful." Hinata said as she dropped her hand to her sister's shoulder.

"To think, both you and I have the power to wipe out every single member of the Branch Family. At a mere stare from us, most of our family could be dead. No one deserves that kind of power." Hinata continued on, "It's scary Hanabi-chan. And Otou-san was scared senseless that one of his daughters would be shackled to the same fate that the Branch Family, on the whim of a couple of archaic fools." Hanabi looked up at her sister.

"But you don't have the curse seal on your head." She stated, covering her arms to keep her warm.

Hinata's eyes grew sad again.

* * *

_  
Hiashi watched her from afar. In just a couple of days, it would be a New Moon, and one of his eldest would be bound to the fate of those in the Branch House. He had never seen his eldest so headstrong. After she had proclaimed that she would take Hanabi's place as a Branch House member, all the elders were in an uproar. She was next in line. She shouldn't be placed with the Branch Family. But she had shown how headstrong and how downright stubborn she could be. And they had finally relented. He remembered her gentle words after she had won her argument._

_"Please do not think any less of Hanabi. It is my choice to take her place. She will make an astute leader of our clan. It is her rightful place to be leader."_

_He felt as if he hadn't done her justice before. When she was younger, she would always take so long to learn new jutsus. Her footwork was appalling and she lacked any confidence in herself. She never thought right under pressure and most often, her strategies would fail. He had thought she had failed him as a daughter._

_But now he understood. He had failed her as a father._

_He had failed her so badly. He had treated Hinata as the experiment daughter. Everything he had done wrong with her, he swore he would not do the same to Hanabi. And Hanabi performed excellently. She exceeded his expectations, unlike Hinata. Hiashi had entrusted Kurenai-san with the teaching of his eldest, while he focussed on his little child prodigy. _

_And he realised now, as he watched her training with Neji at their world renowned 'Gentle Fist' style, that he had missed out. Hinata was an amazing child, bright and honest, and she cared so much for her family. _

_A pain struck him hard near his heart._

_"Tsukiko…"he uttered under his breath._

_She was just like her. _

_Hiashi watched as his eldest continued to train with Neji. Her movements were swift yet graceful. She moved in time, and her footwork was excellent. Very much like his late wife. She even looked like her. She had grown up like her and he hadn't even realised it._

_He saw that both she and Neji had stopped their sparring. Both were now working their way through the large tree stumps, cutting their way through the thick wood. They both worked with incredible speed and strength. He heard his daughter give a bright laugh._

_"Last one to break through this wood has to pay for dinner tonight." She laughed. She caught the small smirk on Neji's face and both battled their way through the stump._

_Hiashi found a small smile come to his face, quickly replaced by a frown. He caught sight of a genin team coming towards their home. Carrying a sword. Hinata had requested a sword. Hiashi hadn't known she was interested in swordsmanship at all, but she had requested it for when she would become a member of the branch family._

_Truth be told, she was really nervous. And very scared. She had paced about the room, wearing the black clothing. A headband and bandages lay on her bed for after the 'ceremony.' She sighed and tried to calm herself down. She closed her eyes, taking deep breaths. She felt herself ease a little. With a sigh, she opened her eyes and walked to her desk. There lay two photos. One of her family. That had seemed like such a long time ago. Hanabi had just been a baby back then and both parents looked proud at the young daughter. But she loved this photo. For despite her mother holding Hanabi closely, she still had an arm around her._

_She felt like one of the family in that photo. _

_The other photo was of her team. The team that she considered close enough to be her new family when her mother had died. She had to laugh as Kiba had his wolfish grin and she had to admit, it wasn't dissimilar to Akamaru's. Most of Shino's face had been covered by his jacket, but despite that, he still seemed to give off a warm and pleasant aura. Kurenai was smiling and looked very proud of the group. And Hinata stood in the centre, between her team mates. She had felt like she belonged then._

_"What would you think of me now?" She whispered to the photos._

_A knock on her door startled her out of her reverie. _

_"Come in!" she called. _

_The door slid open to reveal Neji. He looked so serious, and she knew that it must have been time to go. She only nodded, and made sure all her clothes were neat and that her equipment was fastened to her securely._

_She stepped out the door and walked with him down the corridor and out the door. The sky was dark and there was no wind blowing. It was a warm night. _

_"Ne…Neji-niisan." Hinata started as they stepped out. _

_"Nani?" He asked, still looking ahead of him._

_"Does it hurt?" She asked, her eyes up in the sky. The moon showing its shadowed side fully to them. Neji glanced at her. He had been really young when he had the curse seal put on him. In truth, he thinks they may have spared him a little bit of the pain with some medical jutsu. But he could still feel the burning pain, the curse running through the motorway of nerves around your body. He looked up at the dark sky._

_"Iie…"He didn't want her to have the curse seal. But he had no power over the decision. He still found it hard to believe that she was doing this out of her own free will, to free her little sister from the same fate. He fully respected his younger cousin, she had a heart as big as any of the Hokage's of the village. She was truly brave. But he didn't want her to worry. _

_She turned to look at him. His gaze was on the sky too. She then smiled. 'Arigato…Neji-niisan.' She thought._

_The both approached the clearing where the ceremony was to take place. Members of the Branch family could be seen around about the edges. Their eyes looked solemnly at the young Hyuuga, about to have her fate sealed with this curse. Neji turned to stand with them, but not before shooting her a rare hopeful smile._

_The elders stood in a circle, awaiting Hinata. And right in the very centre stood her father._

_"Otou-san?" Hinata asked, surprised that he would be here._

_His eyes looked sombre, his whole countenance showed how utterly distressed and depressed he was to witness this. She slowly walked up to him. Despite her growth physically and mentally, she still only reached to his shoulder height-wise. Looking at his face, she frowned._

_"Please don't look at me like that Otou-san. If I was given this chance again, I'd do this all over again." She said. She let a small smile form on her face. "Hanabi-chan may have stolen your affection for me, and I don't blame her or you for it. I want her to succeed every much as you want her to, and if she can get through without this procedure, then I will be at my happiest." She smiled again._

_Her eyes widened a little, a surprised expression coming to her face as she felt he father embrace her. How long had it been since she had last been embraced by him? Before her mother had died?_

_"Gomen nasai…Hinata-chan." She heard him mutter. Her eyes widened again. He hadn't called her that since before Hanabi was born. _

_"I couldn't stop this. I tried to join the families as one. I wished…I hoped that I could have succeeded before this." He said so that only she could hear._

_

* * *

_  
Hanabi saw her sisters eyes become clouded and foggy, and small tears start to form in here eyes. She shook her head and wiped them away. Hinata's face showed so much sadness and yearning for their father. Hinata looked up at her sister's eyes.

"But it seemed that the Cloud Country will forever hold a grudge against our family." Hinata frowned at the memory.

"As you know. When our uncle Hizashi-san died, the curse seal disappeared, and his Byakugan abilities were sealed within him. The Cloud Country was particularly angry that we had tricked them and since then, we've forever had attacks on the family. But they seemed to have discovered that with death, the Byakugan still remained a secret. On the night of my initiation into the Branch Family, Cloud-nins were hidden, waiting to kidnap me." Hinata remembered.

She looked up at the night sky. Not a single cloud could be seen and she smiled.

"And on that same night, Otou-san fought for the clan."

Hanabi saw the distant look on her sister's face. Every now and then there would be a twinge on her face. As if she was reliving that night in her head. She turned to face her, her pale milky eyes peering right into her.

"It became clear to the Cloud-nins that they wouldn't be able to grab me. So they ambushed our group, and tried to grab anyone within their reach." Hinata said, her eyes had a proud and wondrous gleam to them. "And that was when Otou-san was at his strongest as the Head of the House." Hinata's eyes once again took a distant look.

"Otou-san died because he used a forbidden jutsu to save our clan."

Hanabi remembered it only too well. The Forbidden Kaiten. A jutsu used to protect every member of the clan no matter how far away they were – even she had been protected, though she had been in the Sand Country. A normal Kaiten only required chakra. But this one required you to put your very soul into it. She looked at her sister, who seemed to be looking right into her own soul.

"The foundation of a shinobi's strength is the people that they love. And to protect them with your life is what it means to be the Head of this clan, and what it means to truly be strong." Hinata said directly to her.

Hanabi gazed at the ground, her hair hung loosely around her, hiding her face from view. She couldn't help but feel ashamed of her behaviour, but right there and then, she understood why her father's dying wish had been for Hinata to become the Head of the clan. She truly had been blinded. All these long years, she had tried to become and remain stronger than her sister. But she understood now. Hinata was always stronger than her. She looked up when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

Hinata gave her a small smile.

"Otou-san wanted us to be happy Hanabi-chan. He didn't want the Head Family. Or the Branch Family. He just wanted Hyuuga. The way it should always have been, and that is my objective as the Head of the family now. To unite the families."

Hanabi only nodded.

"But until then, let's spar." She grinned. Hanabi snapped her eyes wide open. Hinata laughed at the surprised look on her younger sister's face. Taking advantage of her shock, she swiped her leg, causing her sister to land roughly backwards.

"Really Hanabi-chan…as the pride and joy of the Hyuuga clan, I'd have thought you'd be stronger." She winked at her sister and stuck her tongue out her in a childish way. Hanabi smirked, and rose to the bait.

The End.

* * *

A/N: A thousand apologies for such a long delay. This chapter was hard to write and I re-wrote it several times and this is really the best that I could get it at. I also got buried in some homework so that gave me less time to write. 

I really wanted a light-hearted ending. This story is so sombre already. XD

Also...I'm sorry if all the italics made your eyes go all funky. But I don't like the whole FLASHBACK banners used in fanfics.

Many thanks to all who reviewed. You guys rock – hands you all a cookie! You really made my day with your reviews and they encouraged me a great deal. I'm sorry for all those who desperately wanted some NaruHina. I'm not the greatest at fluffy romantic things and when we have conflicting personalities like Naruto's and Hinata's. It makes it harder for me to write. Also, I couldn't really find a way to mention Naruto into this fic as the bulk of it is mainly a flashback to that Hyuuga event. Also, I happen to prefer GaaHina for some odd reason. XDD But even so, I wouldn't have been able to put Gaara in this story, so I'd say I was fair in putting no pairings in. But if it makes you feel any better, you can pretend that Hinata is with Naruto in this story. P

Once again, thank you very much for your patience in me, and for taking time to read my little story. Any comments and criticisms for this chapter or the story as a whole will be greatly appreciated.

Until next time,

Mithua (21/3/05) -


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